February 20, 2015

Reduced marijuana possession penalties clears Senate committee

A bill that would decrease certain penalties related to possession of a small amount of marijuana passed in a Senate committee on Friday.

During a very brief hearing, the Senate Public Affairs Committee voted along party lines to pass SB 383, sponsored by Sen. Joseph Cervantes, D-Las Cruces.

The dissenting votes came from two of the three Republican committee members. A third Republican member was not present.

Most of the debate from the committee came from the two Republican members and centered on whether penalties should be decreased for certain amounts of marijuana.

Sen. Gay Kernan, R-Hobbs, expressed concern that marijuana strains are more potent than in the past.

Under the proposed legislation, possession of an ounce or less of marijuana would be considered a civil penalty instead of a criminal offense. Kernan said she was concerned that an ounce of marijuana is stronger that it was years prior.

The other hesitant member was Sen. Craig Brandt, R-Rio Rancho. He told the committee he was concerned with not only the amount that is listed in the bill, but that marijuana is still illegal on the federal level.

Possession of small amounts of cannabis is no longer a criminal offense under Albuquerque city code. Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller signed city council legislation Thursday making cannabis possession a civil infraction.

Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller this week told city police officers to stop the city’s DWI vehicle seizure program. Under existing ordinance, the police department can impound vehicles after DWI arrests, but before the driver has been convicted.

The proposal to expand early childhood education across New Mexico died quietly Tuesday at the state Capitol, scotched because a vote on the initiative will not be taken in the state Senate Finance Committee. Sen. John Arthur Smith, the Democrat from Deming who chairs the committee, said in an interview that he had decided not to give a hearing to the proposed constitutional amendment before the legislative session ends at noon Thursday.

State Rep. Bobby Gonzales shook his head from side to side after listening to all the suggestions about how to meet a judge's order to provide more resources to New Mexico children who, in the court's view, are not receiving a good public education.